Beautifully Broken
by msnyx
Summary: Adelaide Nyx always knew that her life would revolve around Vampires but she never expected for a certain Vampire to turn her world upside down. Can she accept this new way of living or will her past prevent her from having a future?Aidan/OC (crappy summary, but give it a go, and let me know what you think! My first Being Human fic and my first fic in 7 years... be gentle! ;)
1. Chapter 1

"I hate Boston." I grumbled as we continued our seemingly endless journey to the East Coast.

"You've never even been to Boston!" My self-proclaimed "side-kick" quipped from the passenger seat.

"Therefore, you can't hate it." She added as she stretched out with a yawn.

"I thought you were sleeping…" I huffed, turning down the radio.

"And I thought you were supposed to wake me at the Border so you could get some sleep." Kenlie replied, turning the radio back up.

"I'm not tired." I explained far too quickly.

"You have to sleep, Ady. After all, you're only human….Well, mostly."

I ignored my best friend as I often did and squinted my eyes at the sign ahead that read "Boston 35 Miles".

"We shouldn't be here." I more or less whispered, my uneasy feelings about this were never something I hid from Kenlie or the guard.

"We have to find him." She began with a large sigh.

"Before they do or we're all screwed! This flu has been a blessing, their numbers have dropped…" She was in full on rant mode now and I knew if I didn't stop here soon, she'd never quit.

"I don't need percentages, Lee." I said as I cracked my window and lit a cigarette.

"What I need is to be going off of something concrete." I began, taking a deep drag and exhaled toward the open window.

"If, and that's a big if, Mother did bury him, we have no idea where she'd have done that. They just assume that he'll be around here because he was last seen here. We're running off of questionable information provided by a very sick man, so forgive me if I'm not exactly gung ho about wasting our time here." If she had given me the chance I would have continued rambling on.

"I get it, Dee. You hate that we're on a wild goose chase but I'd rather be doing this than sitting around doing nothing." She said her voice calm but her annoyance with my demeanor was clear.

"Besides, if they get anything at home they'll let us know."

Kenlie kept me grounded and sometime I hated that. She had much more faith in the Guard than I had, a sorry statement coming for a Guard General to make.

"I know." I confessed with a sigh. We couldn't just sit around waiting for word that Aidan Waite was indeed the key to curing the vampire masses of this flu and by then it would be too late.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my God, Ady is that a car?" Kenlie frantically asked as we cruised along the dark, desolate highway.

"Call 9-1-1" I calmly ordered as I slowly pulled off the road stopping behind the van that's front half was wrapped around a tree.

"Stay here." I added, throwing my door open and getting out.

Immediately my instincts and years of training kicked in and something about this situation didn't feel right. I could hear Kenlie in the background as she spoke with Emergency Services and below that and the sounds of nature was a barely audible wheezing type sound.

I cautiously approached the driver's side almost immediately realizing that the body in the van was not only deceased, it had been a Vampire. I took a step back and held my breath as I once more took in my surroundings.

"What's happening?" Kenlie hollered from our car.

"Nothing." I replied with a wave of my hand.

"Just stay there."

"What is it?" Kenlie's voice rang like a loud bell in my head. My momentarily heightened sense of hearing and her sudden close proximity was Hell on my ears.

"I told you to stay there!" I scolded, my eyes falling once more on the body in the van.

"Someone's missing." I said quietly as I took a step forward and got a better look inside the vehicle.

"How can you tell?" She asked.

"The way the windshield is broken on the passenger side." I began as I turned around, stepped passed my partner, and made my way toward the back of the van.

"The glass is shattered on the driver's side, quite a bit still intact; the passenger side glass is mostly missing. Indicating something relatively large either hit it or went through it." I explained further, bending down to pick up a large piece of splintered tree for a stake should I need one.

As I rounded the back of the smashed van the wheezing sound from earlier hit me once more, this time it sounded louder although I could tell that Kenlie could not hear it. My eyes scanned the ground next to and in front of the van and locked on what I could tell was undoubtedly a man.

"Is he dead?" Kenlie inquired as she peeked around my shoulder.

"No." I stated as I gripped my improvised weapon and started towards the man.

"What are you doing?" Kenlie asked as she followed nervously behind.

"He's a vampire, Lee. What do you think I'm doing?" I snapped back haughtily as we reached him.

I didn't take a good look at him, I didn't need to. He was a vampire and I would dispose of his accordingly. I hovered above him one foot on each side, my grip getting tighter. Kenlie protested saying that he could be useful for information and that it was unnecessary to stake if since he would just die if we left him anyway. However, her words and reasoning fell on deaf ears.

I took a deep breath, brought my hands together above my head and dropped to my knees, distant sirens ringing in my ears. As I dropped to the ground everything seemed to happen in slow motion and when the tip of the stake hit his chest everything just stopped. My momentum was gone and the soundtrack of my surroundings was no longer clear to me. My hands still tight around the stake and for the first time I looked at the creature beneath me.

My clear blue eyes peered through what my brother referred to as my "hipster" glasses, into the clouded black eyes of the being and the words he barely spoke hit me like a freight train. He didn't have to say anything, I could see it in his eyes but his voice quietly rang anyway.

"I don't want to die."


	3. Chapter 3

"You did the right thing." Kenlie said for the millionth time as she gathered the keys and her purse to make a trip to the store.

"I should have killed him." I said monotone as I took a swig from my bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Why didn't you?" She asked as she gathered up her cell, purse, and our car keys.

"I don't know." I lied absently, I knew exactly why I hadn't killed him but I couldn't tell her or anyone for that matter.

"Well I'm off to the store. I'll be back soon." She said obviously not buying my story.

"Bye." I said taking another swig of my liquor as she walked out the door.

I don't know exactly how long I sat there next to the bed that was supposed to be mine watching him sleep. I was unsettled by the whole evening. Never before had I taken pity on a vampire and now I was keeping him safe in my hotel room while my partner is off buying whatever animal blood she can get her hands on so he can eat. Seriously, what the Hell are we doing? If the Guard were to get wind of this they'd end us in a heartbeat. We most certainly would be viewed as traitors.

"Hey." A gravelly voice said quietly from the bed. Even though I had been staring at him I had managed to miss that he was now awake.

"Hey." I replied still stunned as I for unknown reasons stood.

"Umm I know it won't do anything for you but do you want some water or, well water's all we have at the moment." I fumbled over my words as I paced before the bed.

"Please." He said giving a small smile and nod.

I nodded back in reply and went to the small kitchenette, grabbed my oversized Batman mug out of my bag and filled it with water. Getting water for a vampire I thought to myself, ridiculous.

Mug in hand I made my way back across the room pausing momentarily once I remembered that he was tied to the bed and I would have to get him into a sitting position. Just because he was the undead didn't mean he couldn't choke, right? I sat the mug down on the bedside table and took a breath in.

"I'm gonna level with you." I said as I sat on the bed that I would be sharing with Kenlie.

"You've got to set up and I'm gonna make that happen but you should know that I had the flu so…" I lied as I stood up from the bed.

He nodded his understanding as I moved the blanket away from where his hands were tied to the bedframe. I loosened the knot, grabbed his arm and raised it up. Happy with the amount of movement it would give him I tightened the knot back up and moved to the other side to do the same.

"Ready?" I asked standing next to the bed with my hands on my hips as if I was trying to sort out some kind of puzzle.

"Mmhmm." He muttered looking at me with amusement.

I tried to ignore his pleasure in my discomfort and moved closer to him. I rested one leg next to him on the bed, leaned over him placing one hand on each of his sides under his arms and as he pushed up with his arms I lifted with mine to scoot him back. The proximity of my neck to his face was much too close for comfort. Finally successful in getting him in a relatively comfortable position I sat on the bed next to him and grabbed the mug of water. I placed the mug up to his lips and he took a small sip. I gazed for a moment; I'd never seen a Vampire drink water before.

"Thank you." He said his voice sounding more clearly thanks to the lubrication for his throat.

"Sure." I said with a nod, turning immediately upon hearing the door open signaling Kenlie's return.

"I have food!" She exclaimed holding up a large paper bag, leaving me with the distinct feeling that she was not talking to me. I got up and made my way to the kitchenette where Kenlie was emptying bags.

"Things go okay here?" She asked as she placed some Chinese take-out on the small table.

"Well, we're both still kickin' so things went fine." I replied as I eyed the paper bag, knowing that I would end up the one who would open it.

"How was town?" I asked and I poured the rest of the water out of my mug and placed it on the table next to the bag.

"Good. The guy at the butcher shop looked at me like I was bat shit crazy but other than that it was good." She said with a giggle

"I hope pigs' blood is okay." She said to him as she took her dinner and plopped down on her bed.

He didn't reply, at least not verbally, and if he nodded I was too busy examining the paper bag to look for it. Sure blood wasn't a foreign thing to me, it's not like I got queasy at the sight of it, mostly I was just bummed that I would have to desecrate my Batman mug to feed the Vampire in my bed.

Slowly I opened the bag to find four quart sized containers filled to the brim with blood. I carefully took each container out and placed it on the table. I reached in for the last container was taken aback by the sudden thick, wet feeling that was now on my hand.

"Gross." I grumbled and I pulled my hand and the container out of the bag to see that the container was a bit full.

"You okay?" Kenlie asked through a mouthful of orange chicken as she and he watched TV.

"I'm fine." I grumbled and I placed the mug in the microwave and turned it on. I opened the small fridge and found just enough room to put the containers. I wiped up the mess on the table and the microwave beeped. I cautiously grabbed the mug and grimaced as the smell of warm blood hit my nose. I suppressed the urge to gag and made my way back to the spot I vacated when Kenlie got back.

"Uh, I'm going to eat in the bathroom." Kenlie said quickly jumping up and taking off into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"The girl can destroy a can of Spam with a spoon but she can't handle this." I mused aloud with a shake of my head. He chuckled quietly as he looked at me but I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eyes.

The next few minutes were super awkward. I steadily fed him blood, avoiding eye contact and he steadily drank it never taking his eyes off me. I tried to ignore that a think about what the plan from here would be. We needed to see if he had any information that would help us to find Aidan Waite but that was as far as we got in the plan. What were we going to do with him after we got our information or even if we didn't? If I was going to have to kill him, it didn't make sense that I was hand feeding him now. He finished what was in the mug and I immediately got up to fix another glass.

"How do you know I want more?" He asked sounding much better already.

"I've seen your face." I replied honestly. Whatever he'd been through had him looking rather rough and judging by the redneck beard he was rocking I was inclined to believe that the car wreck wasn't the only disaster to happen to him as of late.

"Ouch." He replied feigning a look of hurt.

"I mean don't get me wrong, you pull off the mountain man look quite well but you are looking a bit pale, even for a Vampire." I assured him with a sly smile as I returned to his side with another warm mug of blood.

"You've spent a lot of time around Vampires I take it." He said once I set the now empty mug down.

"Enough time." I said simply as I looked down at my hands.

"What's your name?" He asked with his head back against the headboard.

"Adelaide." I replied hesitantly still looking at my hands.

"Thank you, Adelaide." He said his voice sincere and smooth.

"Don't mention it." I said quickly as I grabbed the mug and turned toward the kitchen.

"By the way," He began as I reached the foot of Kenlie's bed.

"My name is Aidan."


	4. Chapter 4

A Note from me: Here's chapter 4. I hope you're enjoying it. I know there hasn't been much action yet but it's coming I promise! Please review if you can! I love getting feed back and I write these stories for you so let me know how you think I'm doing! PS. I own the OC's nothing more!

I managed to boot Kenlie from the bathroom so I could take a shower and assess the bit of information I had just received. I tried to rationalize that there had to be more than one Vampire named Aidan in the world but I knew that regardless of how much I tried to convince myself of differently it wouldn't change the fact that this was the Aidan Waite. The Vampire we'd come in search of. I honestly never thought we'd find him, I just assumed that he was either buried or dead. His appearance validated that indeed he had been buried, but who would've dug him out, the Vampire in the van perhaps. I had no clue what I was going to do. I had already gone against every bit of training I had and if the Guard were to find out that not only had we housed a Vampire but that it was Aidan Waite and we didn't either kill him or hand him over, we'd be done for sure. It was in that moment that I made a decision I never thought I'd make. I wouldn't tell Kenlie that our new roommate was indeed the reason we came all this way, and I wouldn't kill him. I would let him go.

I got out of the shower, put my pajamas on and headed out to the kitchenette. I opened the box of cashew chicken Kenlie had brought back for me, gazed at the contents, and closed the box again. I had too much on my mind and no appetite whatsoever. I grabbed a drink of water, my lighter and cigarettes, and stepped out onto our small balcony for a smoke. I thought about making a concrete plan but quickly tossed that aside. I got myself into this mess by just winging it, I'd get myself out by doing the same. I exhaled my last drag, stubbed out my cigarette butt, and made my way to the bed I'd be sharing with Kenlie.

"Is the TV going to bother you?" Aidan asked from his bed as I tossed the blankets back to climb into bed with Kenlie.

"No," I said as I crawled in and covered up.

"It's fine." I added with a tired sigh the events of the day finally taking a toll on my body.

"Goodnight, Adelaide." He said softly.

"Goodnight." I replied as I shut my eyes.

Sleeping was pointless. I spent a majority of my time laying there with my eyes locked on the ceiling above me. Recent events had me questioning everything I'd been living by and I wasn't sure how to handle it. I had always had clear motives and knew exactly what I needed to do but now I was at a loss. Finally I managed to get some rest, it may have been fitful, but it was rest none the less.

"Ady, wake up." I heard Kenlie say quietly.

"What?" I asked as I rolled over to face her .

"I'm running to the store, do you need anything?" She asked as she stood up.

"No thanks." I said with a yawn and a stretch.

"Okay then." She said with a smile and she headed out the door.

I scooted myself up to a sitting position and looked over at Aidan asleep in his bed. I took a moment to wake up before making my way to the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth I headed back out into the room.

"Morning." Aidan said from the kitchenette causing me to freeze in my tracks.

"Don't worry." He said with a chuckle and he took the Batman mug out of the microwave.

"If I was going to kill you I'd have done it while you slept last night." He said reassuringly, taking a swig from the mug.

I had heard him moving around a lot while I tried to sleep, I just assumed that he was trying to get comfortable, I had no idea he was untying himself.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked as he walked past me and plopped down on his bed.

"I assume you know that I didn't." I replied rather snappily as I cautiously positioned myself between him and the door just in case he tried to make a move.

"Have you told Kenlie your name?" I asked deciding that there was no point in being sly with him.

"No, why?" He asked as he reclined back, his eyebrow raised.

"Good." I said with a sigh.

"Don't." I added turning to face him head on.

"Why?" He asked sitting up to match me.

"Just don't." I said forcefully, looking him straight in the eyes. His Houdini routine seemed to put my mind back in Guard mode.

"So, you know who I am then?" He asked more than stated as he moved to the end of the bed so that he was now directly across from me.

"I know a lot of things, Mr. Waite." I said as I stood up and looked down at him. Clearly he wasn't prepared to hear his full name.

"And there are some things I know, that Kenlie doesn't need to." I added seriously as I still stared into his eyes.

"I'm baaack!" Kenlie cooed as she entered, her hands full of bags.

"Holy shit." She said once she took notice of Aidan and his lack of restraints.

"Yeah," I began as I took some bags from her.

"I untied him." I lied well enough for her to believe me.

"Oh." She replied quietly as she still stared at him.

I took my bags into the kitchenette and started sorting the items out. It was all everyday items until I got to the last bag. Inside was a full outfit clearly indicated for a man., my eyes glanced from the bag to Kenlie.

"He can't keep wearing what he's got on." She justified as if she was a child who had just been scolded.

"Thanks." Aidan said with a smile as he rinsed out the mug, took the bag from my hands, and went into the bathroom.

"So what's the plan?" Kenlie asked as we emptied out the few small things left in the bags.

"When are we questioning him?" She added

"We aren't questioning him." I said bluntly.

"What? Why?" She asked confused.

"I already did." I lied looking her straight in the eyes. I hated having to lie to her like this, but if I wanted to keep her out of whatever trouble I would surely be getting into once we got back, I had to.

"Without me?" She asked sounding slightly hurt by being left out.

"Sorry." I said offering an apologetic smile.

"But I couldn't just chit chat with him while you were gone." I explained.

"It's different this time isn't it?" She asked clearly not as oblivious to the situation as she appeared to be.

I thought about her question and my response for a few seconds before answering her. It was indeed different than ever before, but I wasn't sure I should tell her that.

"We're going to do things differently, but the situation is still the same." I said aware of how odd that sounded.

"We're going to let him go, Lee, and once he's gone we never speak of this again." I said strictly, causing her to look at me with great confusion.

"But if we let him go." She began.

"If we let him go one of two things will happen. Either he'll starve or feed off of someone who has been sick and die anyway." I said knowing that her concern was that he would kill someone before the virus could kill him.

"I hate to say it but he's one of the smart ones, Lee. He knows that there's no way to tell if someone has been sick, he won't risk dying to find out if they have been." I said reassuringly.

She nodded her understanding and agreement that no one needed to know that he had been with us at all. I knew that this was difficult for her, nothing about this trip had gone the way we had expected and it was clear that Kenlie would have preferred to see Aidan as a friend and not the Vampire that he is. Maybe it was the fact that we found him in such a sorry state, maybe it was because I didn't stake him at the crash site, I didn't and would probably never actually know.

"My turn!" Kenlie exclaimed as she swiftly passed Aidan as he exited the bathroom.

"If she had to go that bad she could have kicked me out of there." He said with a laugh as he sat on his bed and put on his shoes.

"If she had to go she would have." I replied with a chuckle of my own as I grabbed a paper bag from the market and opened the small fridge.

"She's just sitting in there thinking." I added as I grabbed a couple quarts of blood and placed them in the bag.

"What are you doing?" Aidan asked coming up behind me.

"You have somewhere to go, yeah?" I asked as I turned around to find myself face to face with him.

"Uh, yeah." He replied, his voice and face full of confusion.

"Why?" He added as I leaned to the side and reached past him into the fridge for the last quart of blood.

"Here." I said as I handed him the closed paper bag and grabbed my clutch wallet from the counter.

"Take this too." I said holding out a hundred dollar bill for him.

"You're letting me go." He said sounding slightly dismayed.

"Just like that?" He added with a shrug.

"Just like that." I replied, and I waved the money around a bit.

For a moment he just stood there staring at me, I assume trying to detect what ulterior motives I may have had.

"I can't take your money." He said scoffing as if insulted.

"After all you've already done." He began, as he paced a bit shaking his head.

"I can't take your money." He said again, stopping and facing me once more.

"Fine." I huffed and stuffed the bill into my pocket.

"You're taking this though." I said as I picked the bag up from the table where he had set it down.

"Thank you, Adelaide. You and Kenlie both, for everything." He said as he grabbed the door knob and opened it up. He took one last look at me and he was out the door.

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding and slipped my hands into my jean pockets, the bill crinkling as my fingers hit it. Suddenly I sprinted from my place in the kitchenette to the door and out onto the open walkway that lead to the stairs.

"Aidan!" I called as I watched him hit the last stair.

He spun around, wide eyed. Clearly he hadn't expected me to come after him. Hell I didn't expect to go after him myself.

"Is everything alright?" He asked as I approached him.

"Yeah, it's just." I began to say without really knowing exactly where I was going with this.

"I just wanted to say good luck." I added , giving him a genuine smile and a quick tight hug.

"You too." He said giving me a squeeze and with that I took off back up the stairs smiling to myself.

I wonder how long it'll take him to find that hundo in his pocket…


	5. Chapter 5

A note from me: Here's Chapter 5, I hope ya'll are enjoying the story! It's been kinda slow but we're getting to the good stuff ;) I own nothing of Being Human or any aspects of the story that you might tie to the show. This story may contain some things that happen in the show but overall it's going to be it's own story. Read and Review! I love feedback and I will listen to any suggestions or questions anyone may have! Enjoy!

2 weeks Later…..

Aidan had been home for two weeks and had spent a majority of his time trying to absorb everything that had happened while he was underground. Josh was no longer a werewolf, Sally had been reanimated and Nora now lived in the house. It was a lot to take in, but he was happy with all of it. Even if he wasn't 100% comfortable with the whole blood magic route that Josh and Nora took to bring Sally back.

Aidan sat at the table with Nora while Josh cooked breakfast and called Sally downstairs for the third time. He absently flipped through the newspaper and half listened to Josh and Nora discuss their plans for the day.

"I'm off work at seven." Nora began as she sipped her orange juice.

"And I promised Sally that we would watch Magic Mike tonight, so…." She trailed off giving Josh the puppy dog eyes. No pun intended!

"Magic who?" Aidan asked as he set his paper down for a moment, oblivious to the 'You don't wanna know' look he was getting from Josh.

"Magic Mike!" Sally squealed as she skipped into the kitchen a huge smile on her face.

"Three words for you my friend." She said as she pulled out a seat next to Aidan.

"Channing Tatum naked." She added wiggling her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry I asked." Aidan replied with a laugh and returned to his paper.

Breakfast was served with all four roommates sitting around the kitchen table, never seeming more normal. Aidan continued to flip through the paper, stopping only when a small photo on the obituary page caught his eye prompting him to read the short note next to it.

"Adelaide Elizabeth Nyx, 26. Born March 13, 1986, died January 20, 2013. Proceeded in death by her parents Martin and Evelyn Nyx, there are no surviors. No memorial service is planned."

Aidan read it over multiple times and couldn't help but feel like his interactions with her may have had something to do with her death; one more thing for him to feel guilty for.

"You alright buddy?" Josh asked noticing the look on Aidan's face.

Aidan didn't know what to say so he simply passed to paper over to Josh and pointed to where he needed to look. He watched as Josh's eyes moved across the page, reading the short passage in seconds.

"Did you know her?" Josh asked as he passed the paper over to Nora.

"She's the one who saved me." Aidan replied sadly, looking down at the table.

"Aidan I'm so sorry." Nora said as she reached out and grabbed Josh's hand.

"Aww" Sally said as she slumped a bit in her chair.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." She added giving Aidan a sympathetic smile.

"You gonna be okay?" Josh asked as he stood and clasped a hand on Aidan's shoulder.

"Yeah." Aidan assured him as he glanced once more at the paper and her small smiling picture. In the time that he had spent with her, he never saw a smile like that one on her face.

"I'm gonna get some sleep." He said, rising to his feet and heading for the stairs.

"Night." Josh, Nora, and Sally said in unison as their friend disappeared up the stairs.

"You think he'll be okay?" Nora asked as she put her dishes in the sink.

"I don't think I've ever really seen him like that." She added turning around and leaning against the counter.

"I don't think anyone has ever saved him before." Josh began in reply.

"Anyone human that is."

"I'll keep an eye on him." Sally said as she too got up to place her dishes in the sink.

"Poor guy, though right? I mean, dude just can't catch a break!"

Soon Josh and Nora were off to work leaving Sally to keep herself occupied while Aidan got some sleep. Sally had been thus far abiding by what Josh had asked of her. She would not go out alone and when she was out she would be disguised. Not enough to destroy her sense of fashion, just enough to "not look like Sally Malik.". She spent most of her day raiding whatever junk food happened to be around and watching daytime TV. Josh would be home soon, Nora not long after him and Aidan would be waking up shortly. Sally decided that she was going to make the trek a few blocks down to the video store to pick up the movie for she and Nora's girls night. She grabbed a large pair of sunglasses, a newsboy cap, and a light jacket. She figured that since she was going to be breaking one of Josh's rules that she would do a little more of the rule she wasn't breaking. In case Aidan woke up before she returned she decided to leave him a note letting him know where she had gone, left it for him on the kitchen table and made her way out the door.

"I'm home!" Josh exclaimed as he walked through the front door. He waited in the entrance for a moment expecting Sally to come running like she usually did. She hated being held up in the house all day with no one to talk to but loved to fill Josh in with all the juicy info she got from the daytime talk shows she enjoyed so much.

"Sally?" Josh called up the stairs assuming that perhaps she was in the bathroom.

"She's not up here." Aidan called back as he came out of his bedroom.

"She's not down there?" He asked as he descended the stairs.

"No." Josh said as he walked into the kitchen to find Sally's note on the table.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed as he picked the not up.

"What?" Aidan asked as he peeked over Josh's shoulder.

"It's only a couple blocks away Josh, I'm sure she'll be back in a few minutes." Aidan said trying to defuse the hissy fit Josh was sure to be on the brink of.

"That's not the point!" Josh huffed, and the rant was on.

Aidan sat at the table quietly listening to Josh go on about the deal he had with Sally. Aidan thought it silly and honestly couldn't give Josh his full attention. Thoughts of Adelaide, her death, and his guilt swarmed around in his head. He perked up quickly as he heard the front door open but was soon disappointed when Nora walked in instead of Sally. Not that he wasn't always happy to see the woman his best friend loved, but he was hoping that Sally would show up to take the brunt of Josh's ranting's so that he would no longer have to.

"Hey guys." Nora said with a smile as she entered the kitchen.

"You see Sally out there?" Josh asked still on edge.

"She's not here?" Nora asked confused.

"She went to the video store. She should have been back by now." Josh replied as he leaned against the counter with his arms crossed.

"How long ago did she leave?" Nora inquired as she got herself a glass of water.

"Over an hour ago." Josh said with a sigh as Aidan got up from the table.

"I'll go find her." Aidan said as he walked to the door.

"I could use your help, Nora." He added as he grabbed the door handle and turned it.

"Call us if she shows up." Nora said to Josh before giving him a quick kiss and following Aidan out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

*As always I own nothing but my OC's. Hit me up with some feedback! Enjoy!

Josh paced anxiously as he waited for news from either Aidan or Nora. Nora had called shortly after they left to tell him that she and Aidan had stopped at the video store and according to the clerk a woman fitting Sally's description had indeed been there but had left almost two hours ago. She further relayed that she and Aidan were going to split up and would meet back at the house in two hours if they did not find her. The two hour marks was drawing near and Josh couldn't shake the bad feeling he had about the situation. They had just gotten Sally back, they couldn't lose her again! The door creaked as it opened and he spun around, praying that Sally would walk through it.

"Anything?" He asked Nora as she tossed her jacket on the banister.

"No." She replied sullenly.

"Let's hope Aidan had better luck." She added as she hugged Josh tightly. They were all worried, but it was no secret that she and Aidan handled things a little better than Josh did.

The door opened and Aidan rushed in wearing a strained but hopeful look on his face.

"Any sign of her?" He asked before he even had time to shut the door.

"Nothing." Nora replied feeling more uneasy by the moment.

"Damn it!" he said as he rubbed his face in frustration.

"What do we do now?" Nora inquired of anyone who would answer her.

"We can't call the cops obviously, and I got no sign of her whatsoever. I should have at least caught her scent." Aidan said as he wandered into the kitchen and began to pace around the table.

"We have to do something!" Josh nearly shouted as he too began to pace.

"Like what Josh?" Aidan snapped, unable to control his emotions after all that he'd been presented with lately.

"I don't…" Josh began to say only to be interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Sally screaming.

"Aidan!" She screamed, although they couldn't see her from the kitchen they could tell she was crying as he voiced waivered.

Instantly Aidan, Josh, and Nora sprinted from the kitchen to the door way.

"Sally!" They exclaimed in unison, mid trip.

As soon as they saw her, everyone just stopped. Sally sat half in half out of the doorway, her clothes were dirty, he face was tear stained, and in her arms she cradled a severely beaten young woman.

"Sally." Aidan said softly as he collapsed onto his knees next to her.

"Aidan," Sally began, her tears almost causing her to hyperventilate.

"It's her." She said her voice cracking as she looked down at the woman she couldn't bring herself to release.

"Who?" Josh said as he and Nora rushed to Sally's side, opposite Aidan.

"Oh my God!" Nora gasped as she clasped her hand to her mouth.

"Aidan," She said removing her hand.

"It's Adelaide."

Within seconds Aidan had her in his arms and rushed her upstairs to his room, his roommates hot on his heels. He couldn't believe it, how could it be?

"Sally what happened?" Josh asked as Aidan carefully placed Adelaide on the bed.

"I was walking home when out of nowhere this guy grabs me and pulls me into an alley." Sally began to explain, her voice still cracking, her tears still falling.

"There were three more men in the alley waiting for him. Vampires." She explained further as Josh grabbed her hand to comfort her.

"She saved me." She added almost inaudibly.

"Did they bite her?" Nora asked as she entered the room with the first aid kit and took a seat on the bed next to Adelaide.

"They barely touched her." Sally said with a sniffle.

"She looked like that when she showed up." She added

"We should get her to the hospital." Josh said, nodding his approval as if someone else had said it.

"No!" Sally exclaimed grabbing Josh's arm.

"She said no hospital." She informed him flatly.

"We can handle this here." Nora said as she began to unbutton the unconscious woman's plaid shirt.

"Aidan." Josh said as he placed his hand on Aidan's shoulder as he sat silently staring at the broken women he'd only moments ago believed was dead.

"Why don't you take Sally downstairs, Nora and I can do this." He added knowing that by the looks of Adelaide there was much more damage hidden beneath her clothing, and neither Sally nor Aidan needed to bear witness to that.

"Come on." Sally said holding her hand out to Aidan. He accepted her hand but still didn't speak or look away from Adelaide.

Sally and Aidan sat side by side on the couch in silence, their hands still together. They looked like concerned family anxiously awaiting good news about a loved one who had just been in some sort of horrible accident. In a way they were. Neither one was aware of exactly how long they sat there but the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs instantly pulled them both from their thoughts.

"How is she?" Sally asked Josh as he hit the landing where she had once died.

"I don't know." Josh answered honestly. He wished that he could have given them something to be hopeful for but he wasn't going to lie to them.

"We did what we could; all we can do now is wait and see what happens. Nora is just finishing up." He added with a sigh.

"Can we see her?" Sally asked as she repeatedly blinked her swollen eyes.

"Sure." He said giving her a nod and leading them back upstairs.

Aidan still had yet to speak a word and that worried Josh more than Adelaide's condition did. He'd never seen Aidan seem so….weak.

"Hey." Josh said quietly as they entered Aidans' room.

"Hey." Nora replied with a small, concerned smile.

"How bad is it?" Aidan asked from the doorway.

"It's pretty bad." Nora said looking at him.

"But her vitals are good. It's going to take a while for her to heal, but I think she's going to be fine." She added looking back at her in house patient.

"I'm going to wash up." Nora said as she stood and Sally took her place on the bed.

Josh followed Nora out and after a moment or so Aidan took a seat next to Adelaide opposite from Sally. They sat in silence for some time, both of them looking upon her with worry and each of them gently holding her battered hands.

"There something different about her, Aidan. I don't know what it is but it's there." Sally spoke quietly and she reached up to brush some bloodied strands of hair away from Adelaides' face.

"I know." Aidan admitted quietly, relieved that someone else could sense the mystery that Adelaide held.

"She was amazing ya know. The way she took those guys out, even beat up like this she moved like magic." Sally said with a sigh.

"Hey Sal?" Nora gently called from the door way.

"Hmm?" Sally replied still looking at Adelaides' sleeping form.

"Why don't we get you a shower and into some fresh clothes." Nora suggested sounding like a mother.

"Sure." Sally replied realizing for the first time just how ragged she looked and how important it was that Aidan have some time to sit alone with Adelaide.

Sally released Adelaides' hand, stood up slowly, and leaned down.

"Thank you." She whispered to her savior, kissed her on the forehead and made her way to Nora.

"Goodnight, Aidan." Sally said as she reached the door.

"Night." He replied quietly, as he still stared forward.


	7. Chapter 7

*Hello my lovelies! I would like to thank those of you who have reviewed and are following this story! Keep em coming! I love hearing from you! As always I don't own much! Hope you like it!*

The night was long and restless for everyone in the house .Josh, feeling as though Sally had been through enough for the day, decided that tonight he would sleep on the couch and Sally would sleep with Nora. She needed a good night's sleep and he felt that she might feel better being closer to where Adelaide was. It was clear to him that despite the short amount of time this woman had spent with either Sally or Aidan she made a big impression on the both of them. He felt like he should be suspicious of Adelaide but so far all she had done was save his friends from harm and when she woke he would thank her for that. He lay back on the couch and stared at the ceiling noticing that he hadn't heard a peep from Aidan's room since everyone had gone to bed, indicating to him that Aidan was still in the exact same spot he'd been since he entered his room.

Josh woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon cooking in the kitchen. He stayed where he was taking his time to stretch out and wake up. Slowly he sat up and looked into the kitchen to find Nora working away on breakfast.

"Morning." Josh said as he stood up and groggily made his way to the kitchen.

"Good morning." Nora said with a tired smile, it was obvious that she didn't get much sleep.

"What are you making?" Josh asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Bacon, eggs, and waffles." Nora said as she mixed up some batter.

"Have you checked on her yet?" Josh asked referring to Adelaide.

"No." Nora said with a shake of her head.

"I thought that it might be best for you to do it. I mean I think Aidan would feel better having you in there instead of me." She explained as she poured some batter into the waffle maker.

"I'll go check on them then." He said as he kissed her head and made his way upstairs.

On his way past his room he stopped, opened the door, and peeked his head in to find Sally wrapped up and still asleep. He slowly shut the door and continued down the hall. He reached Aidan's room and softly knocked on the door.

"It's open." Aidan's muffled voice rang from inside.

"Hey" Josh said as he opened the door and stepped in.

"How's she doing?"

"The same." Aidan replied with a sigh as he rubbed his eyes.

"How are you doing?" Josh asked as he approached the bed and carefully pulled the covers back to reveal Adelaide's torso clad only in her bloodied bra.

"I'm fine." Aidan lied unconvincingly as Josh started to remove Adelaide's bandages so that he could put fresh ones on.

"This is me you're talking to man." Josh said as he glanced over to see how tired Aidan was.

Aidan surprised him by letting out a little chuckle as he stood up and stretched. It didn't go unnoticed by Josh that Aidan carefully placed Adelaide's hand on the bed and cracked his knuckles.

"Did you hold her hand all night?" Josh asked as he cleaned and examined Adelaide's wounds.

"I guess." Aidan said as he paced about.

"Weird." Josh said.

"Why is that weird?" Aidan asked slightly defensive.

"No." Josh said looking at him.

"She shouldn't be healing this well, not so fast anyway." He added as he closely examined one of her more severe wounds.

Aidan quickly moved to Josh's side and took a look for himself. Granted he hadn't seen the wound before it had been bandaged but it certainly didn't look like it was as fresh as it really was.

"Maybe she's not human." Josh suggested reluctantly.

"She smells human." Aidan said positively as he moved the covers further off of her to take a look at more of her wounds. They all looked terrible but not as bad as they should have.

"Hey." Sally sleepily said as she entered the room.

"How is she?" She asked trying to avoid looking directly at the injuries.

"She's better." Josh said with a reassuring smile.

"That's good." Sally replied with a small smile of her own.

"Did she wake up at all?" She asked.

"No." Aidan said turning around to face her.

"You doing alright?" He inquired.

"Yeah," Sally began as she took a few steps forward now that Josh has a majority of Adelaide's wounds cover.

"Thanks to her." She added thoughtfully.

For a moment the three of them stood in silence as they watched her chest slowly rise and fall.

"Breakfast is ready." Nora said as she appeared in the doorway.

Without reply Josh and Sally turned to make their way downstairs.

"Aidan," Nora said as she walked up next to him, placing her hand on his arm.

"You need to get some rest. Josh, Sally, and I will take turns sitting with her, we'll let you know if something changes." She added softly and she noticed the way in which he looked at the woman lying nearly motionless in his bed.

"Crash in mine and Josh's room." She instructed and for the first time Aidan took his eyes off Adelaide and looked at her.

For a moment she thought that he was going to fight her on this, but he simply nodded and walked away. Nora took a seat on the bed and couldn't help but wonder exactly what had happened to Adelaide.

Josh and Sally sat across from each other at the kitchen table as they silently ate their breakfast. Finally the absence of sounds other than silverware clinking against their plates brought Josh to speak.

"Where did you go after the attack?" He asked, aware that the attack had happened hours before Sally and Adelaide made it to the house.

"We ran." Sally said taking a drink of her orange juice.

"From what?" Josh inquired.

"I thought that she killed them."

"One, she killed one." Sally said holding up a finger.

"He had me on the ground and the next thing I know I'm breathing in a cloud of dust. She momentarily disabled the others giving us time to get away. We ran through alleys and side streets for a while before we lost them….She was going to take off you know, but she passed out just as I got to the door." Sally explained as she got up and put her dishes as well as Josh's in the sink.

"Does she know that Aidan lives here?" He asked as he got up to get another cup of coffee.

"Don't think so." Sally said as she hopped up to sit on the counter.

"We didn't really get to talk much while we were running for our lives." She added.

Quick footsteps made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"She's awake." Nora said slightly out of breath.


	8. Chapter 8

*I own the OC's nothing more! Enjoy!*

*TOLD FROM ADELAIDE'S POV*

I woke up and even before my eyes opened I could tell that I was somewhere I had never been and judging by the movement I felt immediately next to me I wasn't alone. I thought back to the last thing I remembered and came to the conclusion that the girl I had saved from that group of bloodsuckers had taken me somewhere. I could tell it wasn't a hospital and for that I was thankful. Slowly I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings. It was clear to me that I was in a bedroom and judging by the contents of it I concluded that it was the room of a man. Suddenly a mass of pain swept through my body causing me to gasp.

"You're awake!" I woman's voice rang from the direction of the extra weight on the bed. Slowly I turned my head to see a pretty young blonde sitting wide eyed next to me.

"My name's Nora." She said with a smile.

"You're safe here." She added as she squeezed my hand.

"Where am I?" I asked my tone much lower than normal.

"You're in our home. Sally brought you here." She explained sweetly. I was impressed with her bedside manner.

"Sally." I mused aloud. She must have been the girl I found.

"She's downstairs, and she's fine thanks to you." Nora replied.

"That's good." I said as I began to slowly sit up. Nora jumped up and gently wrapped her arms around my torso and helped me to a sitting position.

"Do you feel well enough for a shower?" She asked taking a couple of steps back.

"Uh, I think I could manage that." I replied as I brought a hand up to my head and felt the massive mess that my hair had become.

"I'm going to get Sally, we'll get you showered and in some clean clothes." She said quickly and rushed away before I could protest.

I sat for a moment contemplating the situation I had found myself in. I wasn't used to being the one getting taken care of and I was honestly taken aback by the actions of the strangers who were now housing me. Slowly I swung my legs over the side of the bed and as the covers fell away I saw for the first time the damage that had been done to my body. I knew that I had been worked over pretty good but I was surprised by the scale of my injuries. I understood fully now why Nora was Hell bent on me not managing a shower on my own. I heard footsteps near the room and then the door slowly creaked open to reveal Nora and Sally both grinning from behind it.

"Oh!" Sally exclaimed as she rushed to the bed and cautiously hugged me.

I won't lie, it was awkward, what with me still bloodied and only in my underwear but still I hugged her back.

"I'm so glad that you're okay." She said as she released me and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Don't cry." I said reaching out for her hand. She reminded me a bit of Kenlie.

"As soon as I get all this blood and dirt washed off I'll be fine." I said reassuringly.

Nora and Sally helped me to my feet, provided me with a robe and led me to the bathroom. Having a stranger help you to shower is most definitely and experience I wasn't prepared for, but considering the shape I was in I couldn't afford to protest. Besides I had the feeling that even if I had it wouldn't have mattered. Sally helped me to undress and wash my hair as we learned that I couldn't raise either of my arms above my head. After shampooing my hair three times she was finally happy with the result. Nora had gone to find me something to wear but hadn't yet returned by the time I got out of the shower. Sally helped me to wrap a towel around my body and sat me down on the toilet to brush out my hair.

"Thank you, Sally." I said as she began to braid my hair.

"It's me that should be thanking you." She said with a chuckle which I returned.

"No really," I said

"Thank you, for everything. You didn't have to this." I finished knowing full well that most people, regardless of if I had just saved them from certain death or not, would have left me beaten in the street.

"And you didn't have to save my ass. So I guess we're even." She replied as there was a soft knock on the door.

"Hey." Nora said as she entered and shut the door.

"I brought you some of the finest from the Josh/Nora collection." She said smiling as she held out a pile of clothes.

"It's all clean, I promise." She added as Sally took the clothes from her.

"Thank you." I said with a smile. My instincts told me that I had been extremely fortunate to end up here with these girls and whoever this Josh was.

Sally finished braiding my hair and she and Nora helped me into new bandages and the clothes she had brought me.

"I went with a sports bra since they're a little more forgiving than a regular one." She said as she helped me to balance while I stepped into the bra as Sally held it.

"And this is one of Josh's favorite t-shirts and sweats. He insisted that I bring you these in particular." She added as I finally put on the last of my attire.

"This is great, thanks." I said nodding my approval.

Happy with the outcome we made our way out of the bathroom and down the hall; Nora leading and Sally hanging onto me as if she was afraid that at any point I would just go down. The stairs proved to be a challenge for my damaged body. I hadn't been this sore since my training for the Guard when I was 16. Nora beat us to the bottom of the steps but waited for us to join her before going any further. Finally Sally and I joined her and followed her past the living room and into the kitchen. Nora stepped to the side giving me a full view of the kitchen. My eyes initially fell on a handsome young man who sat looking quite concerned at the end of the table furthest from me. For a moment we just stared at each other until a bit of movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. I looked to my left and my breath caught immediately in my chest. Instantly he was on his feet and in one swift movement he was standing in front of me, looking down at me.

"Aidan." I greeted quietly.

For a moment he stood still and quiet and then he gently grabbed me and pulled me to him letting out a sigh of relief. He released me and held me out at an arm's length as he looked me over from head to toe almost as if making sure that I still had all my parts.

"I'm fine." I assured him with a smile as I leaned slightly to the side to see Josh sitting in his chair with Nora standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders.

"Josh," I began with a smile.

"Thank you."

He stood up and made his way over to Aidan and I. He didn't say anything at first, just looked at me.

"No." He said pushing past Aidan and looking deep into my eyes.

"Thank you." He added as he too hugged me.

"Because of you my family is alive and well." He said giving me a gentle squeeze.

That's when it hit me, I wasn't in the company of mere friends; I was standing with a family. Sure it wasn't a traditional one, but it was a family none the less.


End file.
